Run with your team
Ever since the beginning, God said it was not good for us to be alone (Genesis 2:18). God said this after He created Adam, and for him, He created a helper. For us, He sets us in families, churches, groups, communities. God created us for relationship – with Him, and with one another. There are countless reasons why teamwork is both necessary and important, but here are a few to consider.
Exponential impact
I find that when I go for a walk alone, I can walk a certain distance. But when I walk with a friend and, especially, when I get caught up in conversation, I can walk much further, often without realizing it. Work becomes lighter when we share the load. We can only do so much alone, but together we can accomplish way more than we could individually. Teamwork always results in exponential impact. “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand.” (Leviticus 26:8) And of course, Jesus Himself invites us to partner with Him, which goes way beyond exponential impact! “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.” (Matthew 18:19 – 20, The Message)
Protection
Those who try to journey through life alone, either by running ahead or lagging behind, often end up stumbling off the pathway. We and our teammates can help one another to stay on track. When we lived in Russia, we learned to walk arm-in-arm as the locals do. It’s more than just an expression of affection, because the places you need to walk are often treacherous even without snow or ice, so when you stumble, you’re already leaning on someone who can help you remain steady. One time we were trudging through the snow laden with groceries when one of my children slipped into a very deep hole that the snow had obscured. If she had not been holding my hand, she could easily have broken her leg. “Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, The Message) In addition to helping one another when we stumble, we need one another for protection from traffic, wildlife, weather, disasters, accidents, injuries, fatigue, wrong turns, or people bent on doing harm. “By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, The Message)
Empowerment
Whether you’re the leader or not, each member of a team or group can empower others to do what they are supposed to do. Over the years I’ve noticed that whenever my family gathers around the table for a meal together, every individual isn’t always their best self. We all have bad hair days. But the beautiful thing is that one person’s positive outlook, encouraging word, good news, or zest for life tends to rub off on everyone else. (Yes, bad attitudes can rub off on one another, too.) We can empower one another in healthy ways. We need one another! The reality is that each person has their own gifts, talents, and assignments in life, and we simply cannot nor should attempt to do everything on our own. Each one has something to offer that will benefit the entire family, the entire community, the entire church, the entire city, the entire body of Christ. Mother Teresa famously said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” How empowering is that! “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16)
Faithfulness
Who among us isn’t hoping to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” when we come face-to-face with God? Committing ourselves to a team over the long haul requires faithfulness. A thriving marriage requires faithfulness. A healthy family requires faithfulness. A growing church requires faithfulness. A connected community requires faithfulness. We learn faithfulness by choosing to be faithful again and again and again. By not giving up on people or situations when the going gets tough. Life is amazing, but life is hard, too. Things will be tough this coming year, we can count on it. We don’t know in what ways it will be hard, but we can be sure there will be challenges. One of my favorite speeches of all time, Churchill’s famous address during World War II, puts it simply – “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.” Let’s encourage one another to remain faithful to the Lord, His Word, and His specific call on our lives.
So run with your team(s). What teams is God asking you to run with? (e.g. family team, church team, other teams) Who are on your teams? Who is missing? Do you have a vision for a team that has yet to be formed?
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:37 – 38, NLT)
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